By Teng Kiat and Chan Yui Shing

The former Gunners star was in Guangzhou City over the weekend to meet fans

Former Arsenal and France star Robert Pires was in China over the weekend as he flew in to meet fans at an event on Sunday night.

The event was hosted at a bar near the Bai Yun Hotel in Guangzhou City with the majority of Gunners fans who turned up being local, although there were some who came from Hong Kong, Macau and Shanghai.

The midfielder chatted with fans for around 30 minutes, telling the present audience that manager Arsene Wenger could fight back and challenge for the Premier League title in future but that he needed more time.

The 39-year-old also joked that he would be willing to play in the China Super League (CSL) if there were any clubs that wanted to sign him.

Fans also got to pose for photographs with Pires with a designated photographer, who handed over the snaps to be autographed by him afterwards.

Although the number of attendees was limited to around a hundred and rules stated that fans could not bring their own memorabilia to be autographed, the Frenchman nevertheless obliged with such requests as he signed on the jerseys and other items presented to him with a smile.

Arsenal is planning to visit China this summer, with tentative plans to play in Guangzhou or Beijing. However, it seems like there are no CSL teams who want to spar with the Gunners at the moment as it would be in the middle of their domestic season.